Why is English Grammar Important For Business?

Saturday 12 May 2012 8:35 AM

If you are a business owner you will be judged on your professionalism, and yet so many companies today are neglectful of the fundamentals of English grammar. This is surprising, since it is now generally accepted that English is the international language of business so improving English grammar is a way of winning new clients and presenting your company in a positive light.

Here are just some of the reasons why good English grammar is so important for business:

Winning New Business: Sending out marketing emails is one of the most widely used methods of gaining new clients, but if they are spelled badly, are grammatically incorrect and don’t read well they could have entirely the opposite effect. With so much competition out there, customers are much more likely to choose your business rivals’ products and services over yours if their marketing material is well-written and carefully checked for grammar. Remember that a lot of people are likely to be busy and will make quick judgments in a matter of seconds.

Staying Globally Competitive: If a lot of your potential clients are far away and you aren’t likely to see or speak to them often, you will be judged almost entirely upon how you write. It isn’t just clients either: possible business partners operating in markets you are looking to break into are likely to be put off if the messages you send them are unprofessional. You will get far more respect if you are very particular about grammar in any written material you send out.

Eliminating Confusion: In addition to being inelegant, a badly worded sentence can actually be confusing for the reader. In terms of internal communication within your company, if messages are not clearly worded then valuable time can be wasted. If you want your company to run more efficiently, you need to insist upon your employees developing good grammar skills.

With the above in mind, if you want your employees to focus on improving English grammar you could think about enrolling some of them on an online course. These have a number of benefits. For one thing, if they are learning online they can do it flexibly around their jobs whilst still having the support they need. If you choose the right course, the grammar skills they learn can be tailored for business purposes. It is surprising how much a good grasp of grammar can improve confidence levels too – and a confident worker is a far better asset to your team.